Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has praised Rahul Gandhi, giving fresh ammunition to the ruling BJP to target the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Mr Afridi was speaking during a panel discussion on a Pakistani TV channel on the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match, which sparked a major controversy after Indian cricketers refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts on Sunday.
The former criticised the ruling BJP for having a “very nasty mindset” and said, “Rahul Gandhi has a very positive mindset. He wants to take everyone together through dialogue. Is one Israel not enough that you are trying to become another?”
Reacting to the now viral video of Mr Afridi’s remark, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, “Rahul Gandhi finds a new fanboy – disgraced Pak cricketer Shahid Afridi!”
“When enemies of India shower praises, you know Congress is a party which is against Bharat, with Pakistan,” he posted on X.
The criticism has met with a sharp rebuttal from the Congress. “You do the sweet-talking, you maintain the friendships. And then you question us?” she wrote in a post in Hindi alongside a photo of Mr Afridi with BJP MP Anurag Thakur.
Another BJP leader, Shehzad Poonawalla, also targeted Mr Gandhi and the Congress party, saying, “Not surprised! Everyone who hates India finds an ally in Rahul Gandhi and Congress. From Soros to Shahid…INC = Islamabad National Congress. Congress-Pak Yaarana is very old.”
“Art 370 to Surgical strike to clean chit on 26/11 and Pulwama and Pahalgam – Congress echoes Pakistan’s narrative always,” he wrote on a post on X.Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav had justified his team’s stand after the seven-wicket win on Sunday, stating that it was meant to show solidarity with the families of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
“I feel a few things, a few things in life are ahead of a sportsman’s spirit also. We stand with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicate this victory to our Armed Forces.” The sentiment was echoed by head coach Gautam Gambhir while talking to the tournament broadcaster,” the skipper responded to a Pakistani journalist when he was asked whether the refusal to shake hands was “politically motivated”.
The game was the first between the cricket teams since the Pahalgam attack in April.
The match saw strained political relations between India and Pakistan spilt onto the cricket field when no handshakes were exchanged – before and after the game.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said match referee Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe requested both captains – Suryakumar Yadav of India and Salman Ali Agha of Pakistan – not to shake hands during the pre-game coin toss on Sunday.
The PCB, in a late-night statement, described Pycroft’s decision as “against sportsmanship” and said team manager Naveed Akram Cheema registered a “formal protest against the match referee’s behavior” with the International Cricket Council, seeking his removal from the entire tournament.the ICC rejected Pakistan’s demand despite the PCB’s reported threat of a pullout after blaming the Zimbabwean for the ‘handshake gate’.
